Q: What experience do you have in noise mapping?
A: Hepworth Acoustics have carried out
noise maps of all major types of noise source including roads,
railways, industry,
quarries and aircraft (and various combinations of the above).
The company is virtually unique in the UK in having experience
of all of the main noise mapping software that implement UK
standards. The company produced the road traffic noise map
for Westminster City Council and is currently producing noise
maps for Manchester and Merseyside as part of the government’s
Noise Mapping England initiative.
Q: Why
do you use German software for your noise mapping?
A: Most of the noise mapping software
originated from Northern Europe as this was where the first
large scale noise mapping
work was carried out in the 1990’s. We use Lima because
it was designed from the start to be capable of mapping whole
cities and we believe it to be the best noise mapping software.
Q: Can
you provide further support, once the noise map is created?
A: Yes! We can assist clients in using
the results of the noise map in Noise Action Plans. The noise
map is only a tool
to be used in developing noise control policies. It provides
information that can be used to identify ‘hot spots’,
to rank different areas and to assess the impact of proposed
noise mitigation measures. Our research experience in the Merseyside
Noise Study means that we are ideally placed to assist clients
with the development of Noise Action Plans.
Q: Will
we ever need to do a noise map again?
A: Yes. A noise map is only as good as the data it is based
on. Over the years, traffic flows change, roads are built or
altered, buildings are demolished and new ones built. Unless
the noise map is updated, it will loose its usefulness by being
out of date. The EU has also decreed that END noise maps shall
be updated at least every 5 years.
Q: Do
you have a specialist team of acousticians to produce your
noise maps?
A: We have one of the biggest full-time teams in the UK working
on the production of noise maps. The team consists of acousticians
and GIS specialists. The team have produced noise maps for
central and local government as well as industry.
Q: Are there previous noise
mapping projects you have conducted which we could see? A: Yes. Contact Peter Hepworth.
Q: Can
your noise maps be integrated with my GIS system?
A: Yes, the noise maps generated using
LIMA software can be integrated with most common GIS systems.
It is also possible
to use the Lima Arc software so that the noise calculations
can be controlled from within the GIS environment.
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